Chicago Cubs Around the Farm 13th Edition: 8/21/22

Here we are with lucky number 13 in our around the farm series.

Triple-A Iowa Cubs: 2-8 Loss to Indianapolis Indians

Biggest Yes: Greg Deichmann — 1/3, 2B, BB, SO, 2 RBI

This game was abysmal for Iowa, so why not give the Biggest Yes to the only player responsible for runs? It’s not like Deichmann had a game like Pete Crow-Armstrong did Saturday. Still, the outfielder hit a two-out double to tie the game in the fourth inning. Of course, that tie did not last. Still, you want to see Deichmann’s bat come back to life. He was hitting .300 in Triple-A in the Athletics system before he was traded to the Cubs. This year, he’s slashing a paltry .214/.271/.335.

Biggest Yikes: Jared Young — 0/4, 3 SO, 4 LOB

You can make the argument that the entire pitching staff (outside of Jeremiah Estrada being his typical stellar self for an inning) should get Biggest Yikes. Instead, I’m handing it over to Jared Young who came up completely empty at the plate, especially in some big situations. The weight goes further against him given that he was the DH Sunday—literally only there to produce offense. He left runners in scoring position and struck out 75% of the time.

Double-A Tennessee Smokies: 13-5 Victory Over Birmingham Barons

Biggest Yes: Alexander Canario — 2/5, 2 HR (24), 4 RBI

There were several very good offensive performances for Tennessee on Sunday. Some may even be more deserving of the Biggest Yes award for the Smokies, but Canario is officially on his way to Triple-A Iowa. You gotta give it to the guy who homered his way all the way from High-A to Triple-A this year. On Sunday, Canario mashed two home runs as part of the offensive outpour. That gives him 31 on the year across High-A and Double-A.

Biggest Yikes: Bryce Ball — 0/4, BB, R, SO, 2 LOB

As the only Smokies player to not get a hit, Ball gets the Biggest Yikes kind of by default. Ball did get on base by taking a walk, and he scored a run for Tennessee, so it’s not like he put up a total dud. Still, Ball is defined by his bat. You want to see him producing out there.

High-A South Bend Cubs: 4-3 Victory Over Beloit Sky Carp

Biggest Yes: Casey Opitz — 2/3, 2 HR (3), 3 RBI

I love seeing Opitz take home Biggest Yes here based on his bat. The 24-year-old was an eighth-round pick for the Cubs in 2021 almost solely because of his defensive prowess behind the plate as a catcher. His bat wasn’t good in college, and he’s subsequently struggled in the minors. The on-base percentage has always been solid for Opitz, though. Even though his average sits at .200 in a small sample size, he gets on base at a .354 clip this year. The power on Sunday was unexpected but welcome. Let’s see more of that, Opitz!

Biggest Yikes: Luis Verdugo — 0/2, 2 BB, SO, CS

Verdugo got on base half of the time he came up to the plate. That’s good! The problem is he was quickly removed from the bases. He was picked off at first and was caught stealing later. Verdugo has continued to have a nice season in South Bend at 21 years old, but he has a trend of some sloppy base running (50% CS rate). That continued Sunday.

Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans: 7-1 Victory Over Down East Wood Ducks

Biggest Yes: Liam Spence — 2/3, BB, HR (3), 2 RBI

Spence had his bat working out there for Myrtle Beach. That’s awesome, especially considering his .170/.299/.307 slash line in Low-A. The 2021 fifth-round pick has a lot of work to do at the plate, and the potential is there for him to develop into a solid contact bat. At 24 years old, there’s time for it to come around, so—hopefully—this performance can help push him in the right direction.

Also, for those of you who want to look too deeply into things, Spence was the Biggest Yes for Myrtle Beach last Sunday, too. Give him all the at-bats every Sunday. Is this analytics? Did I do it right?

Biggest Yikes: Felix Stevens — 0/4, 3 SO, 3 LOB

Similar to Jared Young above, Stevens was the designated hitter on Sunday and subsequently didn’t hit at all. Stevens left runners in scoring position and put up that 75% strikeout rate which increased his season rate to 35.9%. Stevens is one of your typical boom or bust guys at the plate. He’s got some pop (11 HR this season—all in Low-A), but he needs to cut down on the strikeouts to be a legitimate prospect for the Cubs.